Spicy Pineapple and Avocado Pasta Salad

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.

The weather is starting to get really hot here in Florida, it’s not quite summer yet but already we are in the 80’s. When the weather is warm I love to come up with new and exciting meal solutions that are cool and refreshing. One of my favorite summer dishes is pasta salad, specially because there are so many ways to create a pasta salad and so many ingredients you can mix into it and you always get something different. I personally could have pasta salad every day during summer.

For this pasta I wanted to do something different so I got inspired by some of my favorite summer flavors: avocado, pineapple and cilantro and combined all of this along Barilla® Penne pasta for a recipe that is sweet, tangy, fresh and perfect for spring picnics and summer BBQ parties. Springtime is our favorite time of the year because we get to spend so much time outdoors as a family making memories and sharing meals.

I believe there is not better way to celebrate mothers than doing it around food that we prepare and eat together as a family and that is why I love that Barilla® is celebrating mothers in this way as well.

5 from 1 vote

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Spicy Pineapple and Avocado Pasta Salad

Prep Time

10mins

Cook Time

11mins

Total Time

21mins

Servings: 4servings

Author: Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Ingredients

2cupsBarilla® Penne pasta

1cup1/4-inch-diced pineapple

1cupgrape tomatoescut in half

2Hass avocadoscut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4cupchopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2teaspoonsminced fresh jalapeño chileincluding seeds

3tablespoonsfresh lime juice

3tablespoonsfresh orange juice

2tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil

2tablespoonsapple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions,

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss. Let cool, you can put in the refrigerator covered for 15-20min.

In a large bowl combine all other ingredients and mix carefully.

Add pasta to the bowl and toss.

Sprinkle with more freshly chopped cilantro.

If you do not want to make this spicy all you have to do is leave out the jalapeños. I actually made to batches of this pasta salad and added the jalapeño peppers to one batch for the adults. My kids really loved this pasta salad as the pineapple and orange juice gives it a sweet and irresistible tanginess.

The best part is that for this pasta salad you are not using mayo or sour cream so this pasta salad has less calories but it also feels lighter and doesn’t weight you down now that it’s getting hot.

I always get Barilla® pasta at our neighborhood Walmart. I love that Barilla® always tastes fresh and delicious.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.